Ed Markey is no stranger ?to flip-flopping on issues

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(Boston, Mass., 01/27/13) Boston Mayor Tom Menino speaks to attendees at the Joslin Diabetes Center's Cityfeast VIP reception at Antico Forno in the North End about his recent diagnosis with Type 2 diabetes on Jan. 27, 2013. Herald Photo by Kelvin Ma.

Congressman Stephen Lynch announces his run for the open US Senate seat, vacated by John Kerry, at the Ironworkers Local 7 in South Boston this afternoon.

(Boston, MA,01/31/13) Congressman Stephen Lynch announces his run for the open US Senate seat, vacated by John Kerry, at the Ironworkers Local 7 in South Boston. Thursday, January 31, 2013. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill)

Democratic Senate candidate Ed Markey, whose supporters have slammed rival Stephen Lynch for changing his position on abortion, has performed a few impressive flip-flops of his own — on issues ranging from abortion to school prayer.

The Malden congressman, who has the strong backing of abortion rights advocates, supported a constitutional amendment banning abortion and repeatedly voted in the U.S. House for a ban on all federal funding of abortions, including in cases of rape and incest, in the late 1970s, records show.

Markey, a Catholic, changed his position in late 1983, just before he made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate. He said at the time he didn’t want to impose his personal beliefs on others.

But abortion is not the only hot-button issue where Markey has reversed himself.

The longtime congressman and former state legislator also opposed school busing in Boston until 1982, when he abruptly changed his stance, according to reports at the time.

And in another major flip-flop, Markey voted in Congress in 1981 to support prayer in public schools but reversed himself before his 1984 Senate campaign. Markey also voted for a bill restoring the death penalty in Massachusetts when he served as a state legislator in 1974. The bill was vetoed by then-Gov. Francis Sargent and Markey then changed his stance, voting to support Sargent’s veto.

Markey’s socially conservative record in the 1970s and early 1980s has drawn little attention during his Senate campaign against Lynch and has been conveniently ignored by top Democrats and abortion rights advocates who are backing him.

Markey campaign aides say what matters most is that Markey has voted consistently for abortion rights and took liberal positions on other issues since the early 1980s.

“On all of these positions, Ed Markey has been a strong progressive for nearly 30 years and stands by his record,” spokeswoman Giselle Barry said.

But Markey and other Democrats have not been so kind to Republicans who have switched positions, especially former Gov. Mitt Romney. During Romney’s presidential run last year, Democrats relentlessly portrayed the GOP nominee as a serial flip-flopper on issues such as abortion.

Markey himself blasted Romney for changing his position on global warming, joking in a tweet: “If ur going 2 flip-flop, may as well guarantee it’s also ur future footwear.”

The abortion issue alone could be decisive in the Democratic primary, where voters overwhelmingly support abortion rights.

Lynch, a South Boston congressman who has a history of anti-abortion views, has taken heat recently for saying he believes abortion should remain legal and would not support overturning Roe vs. Wade. Opponents have accused him of altering his position for political reasons, a charge Lynch denies.